Royal Procession of the Merry Court towards Winter Solstice and the Festive Season

Royal Procession of the Merry Court towards Winter Solstice and the Festive Season

Calling all Royalty -- and you KNOW you are! Let's all take a deep breath, join hands, smile and courageously forge ahead towards the Winter Solstice and the Festive Season. Let's celebrate our journey with a pledge to seek health and wholeness, in the knowledge that therein lies the purest celebration.

We're about seven weeks away -- in that time, we can relax, reinvigorate and rejuvenate. Then, when the blessed day arrives, we'll be fortified to venture forth at our radiant best, into the ever-increasing light!

Pop in and post your own personal challenge/commitment!

__________________Onederland by July

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

How fortuitous to have our new challenge posted just as I (once again) climb back unto the gaily decorated wagon. Was in Princessville wathing the Ps in their darling ladybug outfits. DD certainly goes all out.

Anyway, I'm home and trying to sort out my life once again. Just finished preparing a humongous basic salad to which I'll add different things at different meals. A good start. A much needed one.

OK, Royal Folk. This is the challenge where I FINALLY get the scale to move below the magic numbers. Perhaps with the help of the colonoscopy prep But more basically with just my own heartfelt desire to be more healthy.

A gorgeous day today but I'm not sure how much/what kind of walk I'll get in. It will be a walk but not sure what/wherefore. Must search through closets for clothing drive tomorrow so that will be some motivation in that area. Bro doing well, I hear, after surgery. Motivation also apparently for some other sibs to try hard again to do it the old-fashioned way. Me, too. He was told he would definitely have become diabetic at a future point (don't know how they know but I'm quoting).

So, RAH, RAH FRIDAY! Must off to the "putting head back on" job. Even the shortest stay away from home seems to throw me off track. Must improve that......

So Day 1 went very well. Day 2 not too bad, fingers crossed. Weighed in today (not official day but....) was still at last week's .8 from the first goal number. Come on, come on......fight, fight, fight.

All sorts of upsetting vibes and unhappies in my universe - hard to fight off the nasties but working on that too. Nice walk in park this afternoon.

Friend called to see if I'd be interested in going to Symphony Pops tonight in lieu of her ailing DH - hopped on it. Off to start beautifying the old bod for the occasion. A nice surprise - helps with the nasties.

OK, two whole days in a row! Nice walk in park yesterday. Other plans all upset but that's ok. Symphony Pops was a delight.

Today's plans upset so far too. Still ok. Calm, like

Took a quick, unofficial weighin this a.m. and it was at the beloved number achieved only for a brief instant a few weeks back. Hope I can hold on to it for a bit but the water ups and downs being what they are, I'm just glad to see it again. A real morale booster.

It's pretty wild out there today. DH and I went out for our walk through town and around the harbour. There were spots where we could hardly walk for the wind blowing us back and we were drenched by spray blowing up over the boardwalk. Then home for a hot jacuzzi a deux, brekkies and now thinking about a nap. Love the idea of the extra hour today

I should practice at some point -- concert's a week from tomorrow I may have to call on to help me prepare. DH is warbling away at the keyboard here while I type. Wonder if I could practice downstairs at the same time... ... prolly not.

We had our best friend couple in to dinner last night and then the boys went to a movie while we went to a book launch for a mutual friend. The book is called "Sex after baby: Why there is none." I think it could be a hit. The weather was wild last night too but there was a good turn out. Our friend was very gam. She's tall and statuesque, long wavy blonde hair and an impressive bosom. Had on a lovely long gown with a shawl and she read from her book very effectively. Can't wait to see her on Oprah!

Too windy out for tai chi -- 'twould blow all my chi to kingdom come and then where would I be? But maybe later I can do some qi qong. I have been managing a set almost every day. Diet has been good too. I had 2 potato chips last night and maybe a couple of tablespoon's worth of halvah. Not bad, although I'm probably wiser to stay right away from sugar.

Amarantha, I had a little visitation from the Christmas spirit yesterday too. Nice!

Anagram, I'm so glad that the Symphony Pops came along to counter the nasties! Sometimes it doesn't really take that much to turn things around. Probably because we endeavor to be positive, in any case. Congrats on the appearance of beloved number!

K, blathering on here. Guess I'll go pop into bed with the newspapers instead. Hope all lies are having a lovely Sunday.

__________________Onederland by July

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Huzzah, huzzah, the dual entity known as Angel/Demon Faced Scale hath sort of smiled on Diet Maiden Am this a.m. 'n blessed her with a loss o' .6 but told her that the EXTREME JOY o' reachin' the blessed state o' the 130s again must be withheld for another week in order to test the worthiness o' Maiden Am to reach those halcyon 130s fields she used to romp so freely in and wisheth to return in preparation for her RACE to 125 this coming winter season.

T'is all good, though, as a .6 loss be nothin' to sneer at for Poor Innocent Diet Maiden Am, who all unknowingly entered some time ago into an alternative reality known as the "Trap o' the 140s Regain-a-rama" ... a kind o' carnival funhouse where all the scales read in the 140s no matter WHAT the trapped maiden doeth.

I am having that kind o' day also, Wood Nymph. I did get some actual work done so tomorrow should not be as bad as usual, hopefully, but could have done more, just don't feel up to much ... my puppy seems to be in the same restless mode.

I persevered yesterday and didn't, at least, eat to "fix" my mood. Still feeling a bit unsettled and sad this morning but am determined to do things that will actually work to make me feel better. I've got a load of laundry in and beans on for a hearty pot of minestrone for lunch. Am going to putter away at the house and practice singing. It's a beautiful day out there and I'm going to take the time for a little walk after lunch.

Anyway, walked to the gym and did the circuits, home and did a set of tai chi. Heigh-ho.

Am, guessing there's just that kind of energy around right now. Good thing we're Royal!

Anagram

And where are all beloved lies? Hellooooooooooo...

Let's take this day and make it work for us! Love to all...

__________________Onederland by July

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

A little echoey in the Palace. Maybe the lull before the big festive season rush?

Lovely day today here, if a trifle close to the freezing mark. I had a good run through the woods and did some qi qong. Also going to walk downtown to sound yoga to get me outside.

Choir practice was good last night, although I wish I'd practiced more. It would be great to know the music really well. Concert's Sunday night. On the bright side, The Messiah is becoming much more familiar to me. It will be so much fun to be able to sing it and be on the big stage with a big audience! Just have to remember not to do any solos.

I'm trying to concentrate on getting that ticker to move this week. Can we do it? Yes we can!

Let's make this a good one!

__________________Onederland by July

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Huzzah, Am be pretty festivey actually, day off, had great workout of calensthenics, resistance tube and body weight X's with NO heavy weights, very nice for bod and will go mayhap to park to walk and then to store for healthy food!

The Thanksgiving icons refer to my countdown to U.S. Thanksgivin' when I will be fab not flab ... 16 days to go.

Puppy Girl calleth so must away as she be Queen o' this Palace I dwelleth within at the moment. She be gettin' BIG but is still like Baby Huey, yet maturity looms. Yestere'en the Demon Child escaped house as usual (I am careful with the door but Demon Child loveth to slip out when ever I go outside ... I don't allow cats outside but DC has her own ideas on that. She panics outside and wants to run right back in but sometimes it's hard to coax her if she gets disoriented, very skittery kitty). Puppy Girl was comin' in for her "cookie" (milkbone) but would not leave kitty and circled round her protectively and chased her inside.

Obviously one o' the world's great dogs, just like my Olde Girl was.

Arabella, good for ye for doin' your gym circuit 'n the Tai Chi sets 'n walk. I love your little holiday house smilie. Where did ye get it, it's not on 3FC's list.

I am workin' on gettin' that weight down a bit this week also so I can FINALLY be back in the 130s 'n on to ULTRA GOAL (125).

Howdy, chiclets. Yes, lots of unsettled going around. At least in this palace. i'm having a good day, a bad day. Out of sorts big time. Colonoscopy looming, readying for surgery in a few weeks. Practicing doing things one-handed - not good at it. Handy types here Sunday, Monday. Returning next week. And new door is in and will be installed Thursday. I'm glad about that but if they don't finish that day, they'll run into the day of the big C. No matter - I am a Royal (pain?) and can handle it.

DD upset with me - for the life of me I never know what sets her off. She's stressed to high heaven (lots of good reasons for it) and I'm not w/o same myself but I think I handle it differently. We are very different people (tho lots of dear dad in her and I could manage him well enuff). Dunno - but it means I'm not too thrilled with her at the moment. After much emailing, the conclusion is she "wants me to like her". Greeps - I DO like her, I love her, I'm proud of her. I'm far from perfect but have been so accommodating, etc. I sometimes think that, when stressed, she lashes out at the safest stressor - MOM.

It's also apparent she's far from come to terms with her father's death. Twice recently remarks have been made that have convinced me of that. Not that I'm totally there yet either but think I'm doing better with it. Sigh........

Sorry thou be goin' through some rough stress patches, Anagram. Ye are doin' great at handlin' it all, though, and as ye say ye are a royal and NOT a pain!

I am bloggin' my U.S. Thanksgivin' countdown all over the place, although I don't actually weigh in on that day, it remindeth me that on that day I WILL have conquered some demons, even if more demon legions are following right behind 'em and that re my weight and fitness, I WILL be makin' progress by then because NO MATTER WHAT ELSE IS WRONG IN LIFE, I can be considerate of my one and only body and have declined to live in a state of unfit obesity, so I must work work work on it. There are 15 days to go to (U.S.) day, although I will spare the turkey and eat something less cute.

Woke up to wind and rain so heavy that we drove to the gym this morning. I did a little bit on the stairclimber before I did the circuits and may have pushed it a trifle hard. Just want to go back to bed now

I did some yoga when I got home. Coffee supply is low so I'm thinking of venturing out to restock. Need me some caffeine today I think. This is just the kind of fatigue that can see me fall off the wagon, so I am going to have to be very vigilant. And give myself some preventative breaks...

Speaking of which, I'm toying with the idea of taking a four-day weekend, Friday through Monday.

Anagram, I so understand your Royal self being out of sorts. Any one of those three things would do it. Is the big C THIS Friday? I'm seeing a doctor to set mine up in early December, although I don't know how long I'll have to wait after that point. Also have my first physical in years booked. Looking forward to having both of those over with However, they don't compare to surgery

I suspect your suspicion of being a convenient target for DD is correct. I've sure seen that scenario played out before. One of my sisters takes things out on my mom, because Mom will just take it. Don't!

Amarantha, is a low-carb, fat-free gingerbread house. It's in the smilies here as "ginger" with a colon on either end. Gosh, after previous discussion that sounds odd, doesn't it :

K, dovelies, must get some work done. Let's make this a good one. Love to all! (and where are the rest of you, BTW?)

__________________Onederland by July

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson